John Mason, our presenter at the next Bagels & Books, will discuss the book talk "Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza"by Adina Hoffman and Peter Cole. It is the story of the Cairo geniza (storage space), in the great synagogue of Cairo where a thousand years ago, Jews stored their documents. Torah scrolls, business letters, love letters, store inventories, receipts, mystical tracts and more were found there. Date and location will follow.

Marking Lifecycle Events

Please remember Congregation Leyv Ha-Ir~Heart of the City when you have any occasion to send a greeting card to someone.

While we are happy to receive contributions in any amount, for a minimum $10 contribution we will gladly send one of Marci Fleet's lovely art cards created for this purpose to the recipient of your choice.

Make a donation to your congregation and honor someone you care about at the same time. It might be a note of sympathy, a message of congratulations, get well, or a shout-out on a happy occasion. Sue Frank will gladly send along either one of Marci's cards, or one she will customize one based on your suggestions. Sue will also compose a note that carries your thought to the recipient.

In this month of Adar, we are commanded to be happy. This idea is a little strange to some of us worried about global warming, threats to the State of Israel, politics, etc., etc., but it's a good time to sit back and thank our blessings, which are many.

One thing we can all be happy for is our little congregation with many opportunities to enjoy ourselves in March - Rabbi's classes, two Friday night events, one Shabbat morning minyan, and our PURIM PARTY. We hope to see you soon having fun along with us.

Bobbi, Patricia, Susan and Iris

Our Seder is Coming, Our Seder is Coming!

Save the Date!

Leyv Ha-Ir's annual community seder will take place the second night of Passover:

Date: Saturday, April 7

Time: 6:30 pm

Location: Social Room at The Philadelphian, 2401 Pennsylvania Avenue, Philadelphia

Food: will again be catered by Little Pete's

The seder will be led by Rabbi Julie and will include Jessi Roemer and the Leyv Ha-Ir Choir. Detailed information will follow soon! Please mark your calendars now to be a part of this important (and tasty) event.

LHI Calendar March 2012

Thursday, March 1, 7 - 9 PM, Kennedy House, 1901 JFK Blvd., 30th Floor Community Room, The Enlightenment and the Birth of Modern JudaismTo understand the issues of the day, Jewish Tradition teaches us to study our roots. This historical process of the Enlightenment shaped Jewish discourse for succeeding centuries. Please register at 215-629-1995 and leave your email address. The cost is $10/member, $15/guest.

Saturday, March 3, 10 AM, Shabbat Morning Minyan

Join us at the Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square, for a lay-led service, Torah discussion, and veggie potluck lunch.

Sunday, March 4, 2 PM

1900 JFK Blvd, 2nd floor, Purim Party

Rabbi Julie and Hazzan Jack Kessler will perform our traditional reading, accompanied by the annual Purim Spiel, unlike all others. This is a MUST. Friends, relatives are most welcome. Noshes, libation are most welcome.

Thursday, March 8, 7 - 9 PM, 1901 JFK Blvd., 30th Floor Community Room,The Enlightenment and the Birth of Modern Judaism (continuation from March 1)Our very special guest speaker will be Milton Viorst, writer and authority about the evolution of Zionism and the Middle East. Location is at 1901 JFK Blvd., 30th floor. Reservations are necessary by calling 215-629-1995 and leave your name and email address or telephone number. The cost is $10/member, $15/guest.

Monday, March 12, 7 PM, Council Meeting, Held at Pat Wisch's apartment. Call 215-629-1995 for details.

Friday, March 16, 7:30 PM, Friday Night Service

Rabbi Julie and the LHI choir will lead us in Friday night prayers as we welcome the Sabbath Bride. We'll be at the Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square.

Our sages taught that to protect yourself on a journey you should study Torah. But of course Torah is studied in partnership, in chevruta dyads; what if you are traveling alone? How can you protect yourself from danger if you are traveling alone and cannot properly study Torah?

All of us are on journeys --- the journey of life and not all of us have a partner and even the ones with partners don't necessarily have partners who want to study Torah. So how can we each be safe on our journey?

The sages suggest a beautiful solution. We can anchor each other. Someone staying at home studying Torah can dedicate the study to the one on the road. This learning offers protection to the traveler. Wouldn't it be amazing if we each did our learning on behalf of each other?

The learning could be in the form of studying Jewish texts or it could take the form of other ways of learning about the world. The learning that I am currently doing, which I dedicate to this community, is about social media networking. I took a few classes at the Apple Store to learn about Twitter, Facebook and blogging. Some people in our community (e.g. Bobbi Cohen, Michael Meketon and others) are early adapters of new technology. It has taken me longer to master these new opportunities. I've bought some books on these subjects which I'd like to circulate freely to all who are interested in joining me in this learning.

Let's be partners in lifelong learning, Torah study, understood in the broadest way.

Many Blessings,

Rabbi Julie

Rabbi Julie's March 2012 Classes

Please join us for one or all of these interesting seminars:

Series One: THE ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE BIRTH OF MODERN JUDAISMTo understand the intractable issues of the day, Jewish tradition teaches us to study our roots. The historical process of the Enlightenment shaped Jewish discourse for succeeding centuries. Bring your curiosity into our learning community by joining us for two high-powered seminars.

On March 8, Rabbi Julie will be joined by Milton Viorst, who has written about the Middle East for nearly a half-century. His work has appeared in many publications He has written a dozen books, six of them about the Middle East and is currently working on a book on the evolution of the vision of Zionism. He has lectured on the Middle East throughout the country, including Harvard, Princeton, and the Council of Foreign Relations. Pre-registration is required for this March 8 session.

Dates: Thursdays, March 1 & 8, 7-9 PM

Series Two: THE BOOK OF RUTHRabbi Julie will teach the Book of Ruth in preparation for the holy day when it is traditionally read, Shavuot. Deepen your experience of this day, which occurs in May, by understanding the poignant and timeless story of our ancestor Ruth.